Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Wire \Wire\, n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel. v[=i]rr, Dan.
   vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine gold; perhaps akin
   to E. withy. ????.]
   1. A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance
      formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved
      rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel.

   Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square,
         triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in
         the drawplate, or between the rollers.

   2. A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph;
      as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.]

   {Wire bed}, {Wire mattress}, an elastic bed bottom or
      mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in
      various ways.

   {Wire bridge}, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made
      of wire.

   {Wire cartridge}, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed
      in a wire cage.

   {Wire cloth}, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, --
      used for strainers, and for various other purposes.

   {Wire edge}, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes
      formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening
      it.

   {Wire fence}, a fence consisting of posts with strained
      horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework,
      between.

   {Wire gauge} or {gage}.
      (a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness
          of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal
          plate with a series of notches of various widths in
          its edge.
      (b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as
          by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the
          thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is
          used in describing the size or thickness. There are
          many different standards for wire gauges, as in
          different countries, or for different kinds of metal,
          the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge
          being often used and designated by the abbreviations
          B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively.

   {Wire gauze}, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling
      gauze.

   {Wire grass} (Bot.), either of the two common grasses
      {Eleusine Indica}, valuable for hay and pasture, and {Poa
      compressa}, or blue grass. See {Blue grass}.

   {Wire grub} (Zo["o]l.), a wireworm.

   {Wire iron}, wire rods of iron.

   {Wire lathing}, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the
      place of wooden lathing for holding plastering.

   {Wire mattress}. See {Wire bed}, above.

   {Wire micrometer}, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine
      wires, across the field of the instrument.

   {Wire nail}, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed
      and pointed.

   {Wire netting}, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary
      wire gauze.

   {Wire rod}, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing.
      

   {Wire rope}, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of
      wires.

Blue grass \Blue" grass`\ (Bot.)
   A species of grass ({Poa compressa}) with bluish green stems,
   valuable in thin gravelly soils; wire grass.

   {Kentucky blue grass}, a species of grass ({Poa pratensis})
      which has running rootstocks and spreads rapidly. It is
      valuable as a pasture grass, as it endures both winter and
      drought better than other kinds, and is very nutritious.

Barnyard grass, for hay. South. {Panicum Grus-galli}. Bent,
pasture and hay. {Agrostis}, several species. Bermuda grass,
pasture. South. {Cynodon Dactylon}. Black bent. Same as {Switch
grass} (below). Blue bent, hay. North and West. {Andropogon
provincialis}. Blue grass, pasture. {Poa compressa}. Blue joint,
hay. Northwest. {Aqropyrum glaucum}. Buffalo grass, grazing.
Rocky Mts., etc.
      (a) {Buchlo["e] dectyloides}.
      (b) Same as {Grama grass} (below).

Nimble Will, a kind of drop seed. {Muhlenbergia diffsa}. Orchard
grass, pasture and hay. {Dactylis glomerata}. Porcupine grass,
troublesome to sheep. Northwest. {Stipa spartea}. Quaking grass,
ornamental. {Briza media} and {maxima}. Quitch, or Quick, grass,
etc., a weed. {Agropyrum repens}. Ray grass. Same as {Rye grass}
(below). Redtop, pasture and hay. {Agrostis vulgaris}.
Red-topped buffalo grass, forage. Northwest. {Poa tenuifolia}.
Reed canary grass, of slight value. {Phalaris arundinacea}. Reed
meadow grass, hay. North. {Glyceria aquatica}. Ribbon grass, a
striped leaved form of {Reed canary grass}. Rye grass, pasture,
hay. {Lolium perenne}, var. Seneca grass, fragrant basket work,
etc. North. {Hierochloa borealis}. Sesame grass. Same as {Gama
grass} (above). Sheep's fescue, sheep pasture, native in
Northern Europe and Asia. {Festuca ovina}. Small reed grass,
meadow pasture and hay. North. {Deyeuxia Canadensis}. Spear
grass, Same as {Meadow grass} (above). Squirrel-tail grass,
troublesome to animals. Seacoast and Northwest. {Hordeum
jubatum}. Switch grass, hay, cut young. {Panicum virgatum}.
Timothy, cut young, the best of hay. North. {Phleum pratense}.
Velvet grass, hay on poor soil. South. {Holcus lanatus}. Vernal
grass, pasture, hay, lawn. {Anthoxanthum odoratum}. Wire grass,
valuable in pastures. {Poa compressa}. Wood grass, Indian grass,
hay. {Chrysopogon nutans}.

   Note: Many plants are popularly called grasses which are not
         true grasses botanically considered, such as black
         grass, goose grass, star grass, etc.

   {Black grass}, a kind of small rush ({Juncus Gerardi}),
      growing in salt marshes, used for making salt hay.

   {Grass of the Andes}, an oat grass, the {Arrhenatherum
      avenaceum} of Europe.

   {Grass of Parnassus}, a plant of the genus {Parnassia}
      growing in wet ground. The European species is {P.
      palustris}; in the United States there are several
      species.

   {Grass bass} (Zo["o]l.), the calico bass.

   {Grass bird}, the dunlin.

   {Grass cloth}, a cloth woven from the tough fibers of the
      grass-cloth plant.

   {Grass-cloth plant}, a perennial herb of the Nettle family
      ({B[oe]hmeria nivea or Urtica nivea}), which grows in
      Sumatra, China, and Assam, whose inner bark has fine and
      strong fibers suited for textile purposes.

   {Grass finch}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) A common American sparrow ({Po["o]c[ae]tes
          gramineus}); -- called also {vesper sparrow} and
          {bay-winged bunting}.
      (b) Any Australian finch, of the genus {Po["e]phila}, of
          which several species are known.

   {Grass lamb}, a lamb suckled by a dam running on pasture land
      and giving rich milk.

   {Grass land}, land kept in grass and not tilled.

   {Grass moth} (Zo["o]l.), one of many small moths of the genus
      {Crambus}, found in grass.

   {Grass oil}, a fragrant essential volatile oil, obtained in
      India from grasses of the genus {Andropogon}, etc.; --
      used in perfumery under the name of {citronella}, {ginger
      grass oil}, {lemon grass oil}, {essence of verbena} etc.
      

   {Grass owl} (Zo["o]l.), a South African owl ({Strix
      Capensis}).

   {Grass parrakeet} (Zo["o]l.), any of several species of
      Australian parrots, of the genus {Euphemia}; -- also
      applied to the zebra parrakeet.

   {Grass plover} (Zo["o]l.), the upland or field plover.

   {Grass poly} (Bot.), a species of willowwort ({Lythrum
      Hyssopifolia}). --Johnson.

   {Crass quit} (Zo["o]l.), one of several tropical American
      finches of the genus {Euetheia}. The males have most of
      the head and chest black and often marked with yellow.

   {Grass snake}. (Zo["o]l.)
      (a) The common English, or ringed, snake ({Tropidonotus
          natrix}).
      (b) The common green snake of the Northern United States.
          See {Green snake}, under {Green}.

   {Grass snipe} (Zo["o]l.), the pectoral sandpiper ({Tringa
      maculata}); -- called also {jacksnipe} in America.

   {Grass spider} (Zo["o]l.), a common spider ({Agelena
      n[ae]via}), which spins flat webs on grass, conspicuous
      when covered with dew.

   {Grass sponge} (Zo["o]l.), an inferior kind of commercial
      sponge from Florida and the Bahamas.

   {Grass table}. (Arch.) See {Earth table}, under {Earth}.

   {Grass vetch} (Bot.), a vetch ({Lathyrus Nissolia}), with
      narrow grasslike leaves.

   {Grass widow}. [Cf. Prov. R. an unmarried mother, G.
      strohwittwe a mock widow, Sw. gr["a]senka a grass widow.]
      (a) An unmarried woman who is a mother. [Obs.]
      (b) A woman separated from her husband by abandonment or
          prolonged absence; a woman living apart from her
          husband. [Slang.]

   {Grass wrack} (Bot.) eelgrass.

   {To bring to grass} (Mining.), to raise, as ore, to the
      surface of the ground.

   {To put to grass}, {To put out to grass}, to put out to graze
      a season, as cattle.